I'm a time waster, apparently.

I dont' know why Sellers do that.

When I was looking, any ads that said that got dismissed straight away, I found it offputting. I also assumed that something was not right. It probably makes them feel better, but they shoot themselves in the foot by doing so.
 
Trinity Fox said:
I sell a few horses and although we sell them pretty much after one or two viewings you have to understand that it is up to the buyer to decide whether they think the horse is for them.

I always say when starting a viewing if there is anything they dont like like about the horse just to say if they want to stop the viewing and I will not be offended in any way I also understand some people may not want to do this or are to shy to do so.

Some people need time to think about whether it is the right horse and some people get cold feet about choosing a horse even if it is potentially the right one.
Whatever the reason would you really want to force your horse on to someone that was not sure, as I always would take them back if it did not work out it would be a waste of time for me, but I really would not give it a second thought if they have said this.
I dont even put no time wasters on my adverts as real time wasters would not think they were and I think it can put of some nice but maybe timid buyers.
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I wish everyone was like you! OP - it's a bit frustrating but unfortunately it happens. I had one lady take the hump about an offer I put in on a mare that I liked but had been advised was not worth the money they were asking (it was an offer only marginally under the asking price and I had expected to negotiate but she was so difficult I didn't). She then emailed me two days later saying she'd put an awful lot of people off in order for me to view the mare, and that if I was interested she would want a 20% cash deposit. Needless to say I politley emailed her back outlining my reasons for the lower than asking price offer and the fact my trainer had advised a much lower offer than the one I'd put forward, but that due to her attitude I was not happy to proceed with the sale.

.... that same day her advert was updated with 'readvertised due to timewasters'. I was mildly annoyed at the time (after all I'dtravelled some distance & paid my trainer to come to the second viewing with me) but took great satisfaction in the fact the mare was still being advertised several months later. ;)

What goes around comes around IMHO and rude sellers usually find it difficult to shift horses.
 
Trinity Fox said:
I always say when starting a viewing if there is anything they dont like like about the horse just to say if they want to stop the viewing and I will not be offended in any way I also understand some people may not want to do this or are to shy to do so.
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Yes, and I've been to see horses where I've taken one look and said "very sorry but this horse is not for me, I won't take up any more of your time", and then you have to fight to get out of the yard because they insist that you must see it ridden/have a ride/take it on trial even though you absolutely really truly do not want it :D

There is a horse being advertised locally which I know to be nothing like the advert, and the owner is telling enormous porkies to ppl who ring up about him, and at the bottom of the ad it says "no hoofkickers or triers"!! This man let a client of mine have another horse of his on trial, and when she sent it back after a week, he took the hump with me big time (nothing to do with me :rolleyes:) and with her for being a timewaster ...
 
It is easy to feel as a seller like you're wasting your time - I've got one for sale at the mo. Who in my opinion is lovely, I've had three people to see him, one liked him but I thought was unsuitable so wouldn't let them come back, the 2nd I thought he was perfect for but turns out he was well over their budget, the 3rd people liked him, but the chose to get a bigger one instead. Whist I have wasted three whole days getting him spotless and having them try him, I wouldn't brand them 'timewasters'. I wouldn't worry about it!
 
You are not a time waster! Here's the thing, nobody wants their time wasted. That's both buyer and seller. So I always put as much info as I can in an ad. Then when talking on the phone I will try and make sure we both are on the same page. This way if horse isn't what you wanted in the end, hopefully we've both had a nice time and I may know of someone with a horse that might suit you better. But I've been annoyed with canceled appointments, 3 hours late, ect. Being the one with the money is no excuse. Be on time.

The worst time waster I ever delt with was in December while selling a saddle. Girl and her father said meet them at the yard 45 mins away at 3 pm. I was there. They were not. 15 mins later they arrive. Girl tacks up pony. Rides in saddle and loves it. But says I have to wait for my trainer. 1 1/2 hours later trainer arrives and announces saddle doesn't fit. How and ever, for 1/2 the agreed upon before I drove over price, they would take it. Ok more fool me for waiting but I thought be nice and give them a chance. You know because I'm normally a complete bitch when I know I'm being taken for a ride. So yes, I readvertised and specifically added no time wasters, no me driving, and no trials without full deposit. Sorry thems the breaks. And I did sell it to people who understood fully. It was a high end saddle. They had to trust me but gave them enough info to ease their minds.

Terri
 
Black_Horse_White said:
It had started to snow and she said it was because it was blowing in her face. It was a little flurry and the head shaking was that violent she kept pulling me out of the saddle, then nearly hit me in the face as she threw it back up. Lucky I left with all my teeth intact to be honest.
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Tbh that could actually be true, I had the misfortune of it starting to snow when I was at a dressage comp few weeks ago and my mare starting shaking her head alot as well (she was fine when it wasn't snowing!) :rolleyes:

But i wouldn't class you as a timewaster, I would class that as someone who didn't bother to turn up at arranged time and not bothering to call you etc :)
 
I do wonder at ads that say no time wasters/joy riders! I'm not convinced people actually think they really are time wasters or joy riders even if they might turn out to be. Are there really scores of people travelling the countryjust for the 'joy' of a ride on an unknown horse? Save your petrol and go to a riding school! And if they were intentional timewasters etc., would those words really put them off anyway?! Fine to say no trials/loans or instalments as that's a term of the sale. Anything else is just fluff :)
 
I was called a "timewaster" after I had a horse vetted and a very good vet said it was mildly lame.
Personally I would rather be called a timewaster than be a money waster.
 
Rowreach said:
Yes, and I've been to see horses where I've taken one look and said "very sorry but this horse is not for me, I won't take up any more of your time", and then you have to fight to get out of the yard because they insist that you must see it ridden/have a ride/take it on trial even though you absolutely really truly do not want it :D
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Me too - it's amazing how people can claim you've wasted their time when surely what you are trying to do is leave asap without wasting any more time!
 
Black_Horse_White said:
Went to view a horse about 3 weeks ago, went for a hack as the horse was in a field and not at a yard had no school. I travelled about 50 miles and rode for about 45 minutes. The horse was good in the traffic but was shaking her head very violently, so I decided she wasn't for me and told the owner so. Now me and everyone else who tried her, 3 before me are all time wasters :-(
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B_H_W
I have been following your progress after your nerves were shattered.

If this seller doesn't want time wasters maybe she ought to be up front from the beginning. Say the horse headshakes.


My guess is the reason why she didnt is because she prob thinks someone will be stupid enough not to ask why it does it and think ok thats not a problem.

That's her own prob calling you a time wasters is rich since its your petrol and time you wasted too :confused:

Next time you view a horse or phone up have a list of question you want to ask.



Has it got any vices ( kicks door - weaves- head shakes cribs- wind sucks )

and other questions you need to ask
 
Black_Horse_White said:
Went to view a horse about 3 weeks ago, went for a hack as the horse was in a field and not at a yard had no school. I travelled about 50 miles and rode for about 45 minutes. The horse was good in the traffic but was shaking her head very violently, so I decided she wasn't for me and told the owner so. Now me and everyone else who tried her, 3 before me are all time wasters :-(
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I went to Ireland to view and get horse vettted loved the horse didnt pass vetting ( well did with his vet but emailed x rays to my vet in essex and he said leave it so i did ) Im a time waster !!!!! I payed for flights and vetting, yeah i can see why he called me time waster :0 xx thats people for you xx
 
I went with a friend to view a horse a couple of years back - he was smaller than they had advertised and too small for my friend but the sellers suggested as we were there that she tried him anyway despite her saying in the stable that he was far too small. She tried him and loved him but was hoenst and said he was just too small for her.

Another friend who liveried at the same yard but was not there when we viewed then said the sellers claimed we never turned up and were "timewasters" - funny how that rumour stopped when I showed the video I took at the time :-)
 
This phrase always mystifies me.

When we were horse hunting, I drove two hours to see/try a homebred gelding by a Grade A Showjumper (It's the Business). He put me on the floor, but I liked him on the ground and thought we'd give him a second go and took my daughter (who would have been sharing him with me) to see him (another four-hour roundtrip drive). Daughter liked him, so I told seller that I would like to make an offer pending my trainer riding him - seller (selling on behalf of owner) was happy with that. Trainer went out (her Mum drove her and I paid for her time/petrol) and he tried to do the same thing he had done with me, so we decided he probably wasn't for us. When I told the seller, we were branded timewasters. I actually think our time was wasted rather than hers . . . we had invested a significant amount of time and money travelling to and from to try the horse . . .

Saw him advertised a month or so later for less than £1K (and a good £3K less than she had originally advertised him for) . . . funny that . . . if he was such a prize, why wasn't he snapped up by someone else?

P
 
When ever ive sold a horse I make a honest advert to start with. I always think its best to give as much info as you can in the advert as that way only people who feel they are suited to the horse advertised should ring and also why hide some thing just for them to phone and me tell them then or they come and see it for their self? Then when ever I get a call/email I go into every detail I can think of about the horse, again as then the person phoning can see if the horse is for them before coming to view. I also ask questions about themself to see if I think the horse would suit them as all of the horses sold mean some thing to me and dont want to see a horse being passed around due to them not being suited etc. Always open to vets etc and will ride the horse myself before they get on so they can see before getting on themself. I dont expect to be told there and then if they want the horse as know its a big deal to buy a horse and wouldnt want any rushed choices but I also wouldnt want to be kept waiting for a few days for them to decide as wouldnt hold a horse for someone who may not want it. If the person doesnt want the horse then thats fine and I would never get nasty over it and then add no time wasters, I would rather know then them buy and the horse gets passed on. I see time wasters who come after all the information given and are novice riders even though the horse isnt for a novice or never get back to you or even turn up in the first place. I also dont like people who offer you well below the asking price as the horses isnt in their price range, why view a horse for that price if you cant afford it - ive never had this happen though but you do hear about it! That is what I would class as a time waster, not yourself who has tried the horse and decided it wasnt for you and let the owner know that.
 
If a horse isn't selling quickly a seller might simply add 'due to timewasters' to their posted advert/s so as to give the impression that the reason it's not yet been sold and is still advertised has nothing to do with the horse being dodgy!! Puts me off personally!
 
re-advertising and citing "timewasters" just sounds petulant. Not all potential buyers are going to like your horse, the "first to see" may or may not buy - that's life. There are just as many weird sellers as there are loopy buyers!
 
I think it has to be give and take by both sellers and buyers. Its people who rave about a horse that they have tried, say yes the will put an offer in etc and keep seller dangling for what ends up being weeks and then they say no or dont turn up at all. If the horse is nto suitable buyers should say so at the earliest opportunity. Sellers should not be offended by this and also should write honest adverts.
 
Interesting thread!

Just out of curiosity: if you had to re-advertise a horse because of real time-wasters (e.g. people who made appointments to view and didn't show up, or people who agreed to buy, kept you hanging on for weeks and then changed their minds, etc, etc.) what would you put on the new ad?

While I'm sure there are many cases where 're-advertised due to time-wasters' actually just means 're-advertised due to buyers not liking horse', there must surely be at least some cases where the seller really has been mucked about, and the horse is being re-advertised through no fault of its own, or the seller's.

Just wondering what the seller should say in a new ad in these cases?

It seems that the term 'time-wasters' has been so often misused that no-one trusts it any more - can anyone suggest an alternative term or phrase that they would trust?
 
htobago said:
Just out of curiosity: if you had to re-advertise a horse because of real time-wasters (e.g. people who made appointments to view and didn't show up, or people who agreed to buy, kept you hanging on for weeks and then changed their minds, etc, etc.) what would you put on the new ad?
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I've never had an issue with timewasters when I have sold but I have never taken a horse off the market until hefty deposit/full price paid.

Always keep potential buyers aware of this and let them know when other people are booked to come and see the horse- I have never had an issue with this system so far and it means as you haven't taken the horse 'off' the market, there is no need for a new advert.
 
htobago said:
Interesting thread!

Just out of curiosity: if you had to re-advertise a horse because of real time-wasters (e.g. people who made appointments to view and didn't show up, or people who agreed to buy, kept you hanging on for weeks and then changed their minds, etc, etc.) what would you put on the new ad?

While I'm sure there are many cases where 're-advertised due to time-wasters' actually just means 're-advertised due to buyers not liking horse', there must surely be at least some cases where the seller really has been mucked about, and the horse is being re-advertised through no fault of its own, or the seller's.

Just wondering what the seller should say in a new ad in these cases?

It seems that the term 'time-wasters' has been so often misused that no-one trusts it any more - can anyone suggest an alternative term or phrase that they would trust?
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I wouldn't draw attention to the fact it was re-advertised, why the need? If someone noticed and asks when sorting out a viewing, tell them honestly what happened.

Pan
 
htobago said:
Interesting thread!

Just out of curiosity: if you had to re-advertise a horse because of real time-wasters (e.g. people who made appointments to view and didn't show up, or people who agreed to buy, kept you hanging on for weeks and then changed their minds, etc, etc.) what would you put on the new ad?

While I'm sure there are many cases where 're-advertised due to time-wasters' actually just means 're-advertised due to buyers not liking horse', there must surely be at least some cases where the seller really has been mucked about, and the horse is being re-advertised through no fault of its own, or the seller's.

Just wondering what the seller should say in a new ad in these cases?

It seems that the term 'time-wasters' has been so often misused that no-one trusts it any more - can anyone suggest an alternative term or phrase that they would trust?
Click to expand...

I would put readvertised through no fault of his own.
 
I think there are joy riders who think it's OK to go and ride someone's horse for an hour or two under the pretext of wanting to buy it rather than hiring a horse at their local riding school but how do you distinguish them from someone who is mildly interested?

We have had people not turn up. It is irritating when you have taken leave from work and spent all your free time in the previous 24 hours bathing, trimming and grooming to get the horse looking its best for them. It is even more irritating when they make a point of saying "I won't mess you about"!

I wouldn't put "no timewasters" on an ad though, it won't put off the committed joy riders and it would mark me out as grumpy and unrealistic with a horse no-one likes.:eek:;)
 
I've had joy riders come and see a horse. The thing that caused alarm bells was their lack of curiosity about the animal. I first put this down to shyness, but when girl 'a' got off and passed her hat silently to girl 'b' so she could 'have a go' I got annoyed (to put it mildly) and openly accused them of just coming for the ride. They said nothing in their defence, so I asked them to leave.
For me the worst sort of timewasters are ones that don't turn up, despite sounding SO enthusiastic on the 'phone. All that tarting up for nothing! (The horse I mean, not me!)
 
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